Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Md Tajul Islam said that the government is taking initiatives to appoint urban planners in every municipality of the country.
He made the remarks while speaking at a seminar arranged by Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) at the CIDRAP auditorium in the capital on Sunday, said a press release issued by LGRD Ministry.
During the ceremony, the Minister also informed about preparing master plan for every municipality under the guidelines of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The LGRD Minister said, “A unified long-term national plan is a must to develop a country and the plan has to be a sustainable one with specific perspectives to make it successful.”
“If a master plan is made for Dhaka, the plan has to contain the projection of the population growth in the next 50 years, development of infrastructure, GDP per capita, lifestyle of the citizens, technological advancements and other information. Only by taking these issues into consideration, a master plan can be successful,” he added.
Facilities of a metropolitan city have to be made available in rural areas to prevent centralisation of Dhaka city. The government has been working with the motto ‘my village, my city’ and the pilot project is already in motion in 15 villages, the Minister said.
The LGRD Minister also praised the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his prudent role and said that Bangabandhu took charge of a war-torn country after Liberation War. He tried to improve every major sector. He achieved a remarkable progress in only three years.
Mentioning the ongoing mega projects such as Padma Bridge, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and Metrorail, Minister Tajul Islam urged citizens not only to dream for a developed country, but also to take part in turning the dream into reality.
Senior Secretary of LGRD Ministry Md Helal Uddin Ahmed was present at the seminar as a special guest. BIP General Secretary Dr Adil Muhammad Khan, a renowned urban planner also spoke there.
